Debórah Eliezer’s one-woman show cracks open the assumptions of her own identity through the story of her father, Edward Ben-Eliezer, an Iraqi Jew born in 1930, a member of the Zionist underground in the aftermath of World War II, a refugee, Israeli spy, and an immigrant to America.
Set in Iraq, pre-state Israel, and San Francisco, and giving voice to a dozen different characters—including her father at three different ages, her great grandmother, their Iraqi neighbors, and an ethereal embodiment of the Tigris Euphrates valley itself – this one-hour tour de force tells the remarkable history of the Iraqi Jewish Diaspora, as told by a daughter of that diaspora. Through this journey, Eliezer also finds a missing part of herself, “a song sung in a language I can’t understand” as she puts it. “A dream I can’t remember.”
Tea Salon Following the 3 pm matinee join us for a 30 minute Iraqi-style tea salon. A delicious space for reflection, we invite you to sit in small groups, partake of tea and sweets, and relax. Via small slips of paper, questions will be asked of fellow participants to inspire dialogue about cultural identity.
“Luminous…So beautifully written, performed and directed that you might wish it were longer. Eliezer is an expressive actor, and her story, lyrical and affecting, is one you’ve probably never heard before.” Jean Schiffman, San Francisco Examiner
Debórah Eliezer, (she/her), is the Artistic Director of Aviva Arts, an Associate Member of Golden Thread, a professional voiceover artist, and an artEquity Arts Facilitator Alum. An arts administrator, theater maker and cultural provocateur, she creates with a focus on ensemble collaboration. From 2011-2022, she was the Artistic Director of foolsFURY, where she directed, created, and performed in the world premieres of Dionysus Was Such a Nice Man, by Kate Tarker, The Unheard of World by Fabrice Melquiot, Faulted by Angela Santillo, Port Out, Starboard Home with Sheila Callaghan, and Monster in the Dark with Doug Dorst. Golden Thread productions include Ziryab’s The Fifth String by Torange Yeghiazarian, Ecstasy a Water Fable by Denmo Ibrahim and Karima’s City, by Yussef El Guindi. For more information visit https://www.deboraheliezer.com
Our community partner is JIMENA
The event takes place in Kanbar Hall at the JCCSF.
We’re so glad to welcome you into our building again! Safety is paramount and we appreciate your patience and cooperation as we follow San Francisco’s healthy and safety requirements.
How We’ll Stay Safe Together: All staff have been vaccinated and we welcome fully vaccinated patrons to our programs. If you’re not vaccinated, don’t forget your mask – you’ll need to keep it on start to finish.
Support the JCCSF
Together We Are Stronger
You can help us thrive. You can make an impact. Make a gift to the Resilience Campaign and ensure the JCCSF can continue to serve our community, invest in our staff and make our programming more dynamic than ever before.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.